


say something i'm giving up on you

by annadavidson



Series: let us duel the stars (a mass effect dual au) [3]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Dual AU, M/M, Mass Effect AU, Mass Effect Dual AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-30 00:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10865658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annadavidson/pseuds/annadavidson
Summary: “I trusted you,” Julian strained once he had gotten Reyes alone again.Prompt: "I trusted you."





	say something i'm giving up on you

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: Contains spoilers for Mass Effect: Andromeda and Reyes Vidal's story arc.

_“I trusted you,”_ Julian strained once he had gotten Reyes alone again. They were out of the cave – Reyes had stopped when he’d noticed Julian had stopped in the cave’s opening. No one else approached when it was decided the two of them wanted to talk alone.

Yes, they had made up to a degree already. He had yelled at Reyes for lying to him, for killing Sloane. He had yelled at himself for not saving Sloane when SAM had alerted him to the sniper. He had made it clear that Reyes was not the man he’d thought he was, but he’d also made it clear that his feelings for the other man hadn’t changed.

He could still feel Reyes’ lips against his, his back against the cave wall, as those words escaped. He could still feel the pain of realizing the truth, of realizing who Reyes really was. He understood why Reyes had done what he’d done, had kept the secrets he’d kept. He forgave him as best he could at the moment, but he did need more time. He needed to get to know Reyes for who he was, as Reyes Vidal and the Charlatan. He needed to know just who he had fallen in love with.

“Julian –” Reyes started but stopped himself.

It was odd, he thought, hearing his full name after getting used to the way _Jules_ rolled off the other man’s tongue. People usually resorted to his full first name when they saw he was upset or they were upset with him. He stared at Reyes’ face for a moment, studying his expression, trying to remember what the tells for certain emotions were. He thought it was safe to assume Reyes wasn’t upset with him but was trying to comfort him.

When he thought back to his previous conversations with Reyes, a lot of it just clicked, it suddenly made sense. He had an eidetic memory and remembered every time the Charlatan had been brought up between them. Reyes claimed he had known who he really was, but that wasn’t true – at least not entirely. Being the Charlatan seemed like a large part of who Reyes was. And Julian couldn’t help wondering if anything else was a lie.

No one had lied to him like this before – no one he cared about. He didn’t know how to fully process it. He was still trying to process Sloane dying, him failing to protect her. He was still trying to process why he had stood there and allowed her to get sniped. Gabby’s lack of reaction, her own failure to save Sloane, could be chalked up to her reacting too late. The moment SAM had told him about the sniper, he had thought to push Sloane out of the way. But something had stopped him. A fear had crawled in and wrapped its fingers around his heart, sending a single thought to his mind.

_What if Sloane killed Reyes?_

The thought of Reyes dying had held him still, preventing him from moving his legs or shouting a warning. He’d watched, horrified at himself, as the bullet found its way to Sloane and she’d collapsed. He didn’t think he would stop seeing the image of her on the ground, lifeless, for a while. He knew he’d never forget it.

Reyes was watching him, for once without any smooth words to try to lighten the mood. Through getting to know the young Pathfinder, he’d learned that the other man had trouble expressing his emotions, showing his feelings. He had also learned Julian’s tells. As the silence stretched on, there was a hurt that had returned to the Pathfinder’s eyes, to the way he looked at him. He’d been afraid of that look changing. Julian had said nothing had changed, but that wasn’t entirely true. Perhaps the young man’s feelings for him were the same, but something _had_ changed, at least for now. The way he looked at him was filled with hurt, betrayal. He thought in time those wounds would heal, but right now they were open, throbbing, _bleeding_. Right now Julian was still hurting.

Julian found himself asking the one question he’d been afraid to ask in that cave. “Is anything else a lie?”

Reyes stepped closer, closing in the gap between them. He noticed Julian physically relax, the tension in his shoulders lessen, as he drew closer. The young Pathfinder often got uncomfortable in crowds, but he found comfort in sharing any form of intimate closeness with those he had allowed in – those he called his friends and especially those he allowed close enough to call lovers. It was the same sense of comfort he got when Liam, one of his closest friends since arriving in Andromeda, threw an arm around his shoulder or brought him into a hug to make sure he was okay or help calm him down after an anxiety attack.

But at the same time it was different because Reyes was not Liam – his feelings for Reyes were not his feelings for Liam. They were stronger, and they weren’t platonic. He did count Reyes as an ally and a friend, but also more.

“There won’t be any more secrets, Jules,” Reyes assured him.

Julian gave a small frown, a bit confused. “Secrets are different than lies.” He stated it like it was the fact he believed it was. “Can I… Can I ask you questions?”

Reyes lightly chuckled. There was the inquisitive Pathfinder he had come to know. Always wanting to know the answers, frustrated with anything he didn’t know, angered when people dodged the questions he saw as harmless.

“Of course,” he replied, noticing the way Julian avoided making direct eye contact. He’d been fooled the first few times after meeting the young Pathfinder, but he’d since noticed that Julian never actually made eye contact with anyone. He usually focused either right below or above the eyes. He’d made eye contact with him a few times just to see what would happen. Needless to say, he’d learned that eye contact made the other man uncomfortable.

“Is your name really _Reyes Vidal?”_ came the first question, earning a short laugh from him and a quizzical look from Julian.

“Yes, yes it is,” he replied, amused. “Why? Do you dislike it?”

Julian shook his head, answering honestly, “I love your name.”

Reyes felt his face grow hot. He couldn’t stop a small smile from finding its way onto his face. “Is that all?”

This time Julian hesitated, looking over his shoulder at where his twin, Gabby, and the rest of their squad waited. He followed the Pathfinder’s gaze and saw the way they were being watched – subtly by some, not so subtle by others. He saw the uneasiness, the protectiveness in those gazes. He knew the warnings they would give both Pathfinders the moment he wasn’t around – _“Be careful. He lied and used you once already.”_

“Do you –” Julian’s voice brought his attention back to him.

Reyes looked to find the Pathfinder staring at him. Julian’s face was red and warm, painted with a blush. What surprised him the most was that Julian was meeting his eyes, making eye contact that was clearly making him uncomfortable. He thought it would be best if he looked away since the Pathfinder seemed dead set on forcing himself to maintain the eye contact. But he just couldn’t look away. He couldn’t take his eyes off the man in front of him – the man who made his heart race in his chest.

“Do you still love –” Julian paused, cutting himself off to rethink his words. He gently bit down on his lower lip before continuing, his question amended. “Do you still have strong feelings for me? Or was that a lie too?”

Without thinking, Reyes brought his hands up, cupping Julian’s face. The next thing the young Pathfinder knew, his eyes were closed and Reyes was kissing him. Julian’s own hands found their way to Reyes’ waist where they rested. The kiss was soft, gentle. It was different from the passion fueled kisses in the cave, but at the same time, it held its own passion. A soft passion like the brush of a breeze against his skin. A softness that said Reyes didn’t want to hurt him again.

His eyes opened, his face feeling hotter than it had before, when he felt Reyes pull away. Reyes hands cupping his face, and though their eyes were locked together, Julian couldn’t think enough to feel uncomfortable. All he could think was that he liked the way Reyes was looking at him. He had always had trouble understanding and noticing how others expressed their emotions – it didn’t help that there were many ways to express each emotion. But there was one emotion he had seen all his life. And though it took him a moment or two to register it, there was one emotion he could occasionally recognize.

_Love._

He could see it in Reyes’ eyes and heard it in his voice when the man spoke.

“I would never lie about that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like/reblog on Tumblr [here](http://magicrobins.tumblr.com/post/160487202015/ryderreyes-i-trusted-you).


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